Conveying apparatus



June 10, 1930.. A, H, GFRQRER u 1,763,351

CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Dec: 6, 1927 ,4 Sheets-Sheet l June 1 0, 1930. A, H GFRORER 1,763,351

CONVEYING' PPARATUS Filed Deo, 6', 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 fitto: nu]

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 10, 1930. A. H. GFRORER CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 6, 1927 .June 10, 1930.

Filed Dec. 6, 1927 A. H. GFRORER CONVEYING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l Smic;

mzfmam Patented June 10,1 '1930 A UNITED lSTATES PATENT oFF-Ica ALBERTH. ernonnn, or BUFFALO, NEW Yoan, nssrsNon To THE AU'roMA'rro 'rnANs- JL=o1rnaTIoN COMPANY, INc., or BUrrALo, NEW Yoan, n coaronnrroN or New convenire arreaa'rue Application led December 6, wat., Serial No. www..

provide for the movement of such means to.

lt either of two( positions, in one of which it cooperates with the load supporting element and in the other of which it is removed to a position where it cannot interfere with the loading or unloading of the element. p tu Fmbodiments of the invention are illus- Figure l is a perspective view of a load handling structure embodying my mventlon h5 as applied to an industrial truck.

`Figure 2 is a perspective view taken diagonally lopposite to Figure l.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the load supporting element and clamping means.

Figure 4 is a top plan View of the load supporting element and clamping means with the base and wheels of the truck omitted for the sake of olearness.

Figure 5 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the load supporting element, clamping means and operating mechanism as shown in Figure 4 but with the operating motor shown in elevation; m y Figure 6 is a side elevation of a slightly modified construction.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the same,

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the driving connection utilized in the modification shown in Figures 7 and 8.

The invention essentially includes a load supporting element and a clamping member which is so mounted as to be capable of relative vertical clamping movement toward or `to vaway from the load supporting element, to-

trated in the accompanying drawings, where-` gether with means for moving the clamping member.

The invention may be applied to a truck of any suitable construction but has particular utility in connection with industrial trucks of the tiering lifting type and such a truck is, therefore, illustrated in the .drawin s as, indicated atl. rlhe truck shown inclu es a chassis 2 and an elevating screw 3 which functions to raise and lower the frame 4 by which" the load supporting and clamping means together with their associated operating parts, are carried. 'lhe frame includes pair of forwardly extending arms 4a, the free ends of which are formed `with depending extensions 4" which carry adjacent their lower ends a cross piece 5. 'llhe free ends of the arms 4 are also -formed with openings for the accommodation and support of a transverse bar 6, the opposite ends of which project beyond the arms 4m. y

The bar 6 provides support for the load supporting element. rlhis element preferably comprises a plurality of forwardly projecting bars 7 which at their rear ends are formed, with upright supporting extensions 7 a mount- Y ed on the bar 6. Generally not more than three barswill benecessary yfor this element and these may be uniformly spaced along the bar 6, one being placed midway between the arms 4aL andthe other two on the outer sides of the arms. The vertical alignment of the bars'7 is maintained by the cross piece 5 which provides an abutment against which the extensions 7' bear.

The clamping means consists generally of a pairof levers 8 preferably of bell cranlrl form, which are pivotally mounted on the bar 6 and are adapted to be moved to and-from clamping position by a motor 9 and cooperat-v ing parts. This motor is located between and supported by lthe arms 4 and is suitably connected to the clamping levers preferably by f separate driving connections to each lever, such connections beingr arranged on relatively opposite sides of the motor. The motor 9 is of the reversible type and is .controlled by a suitable manual reversing switch (not shown) which is located within easy reach of the operator who stands'on the usual step f S at the rear'of the truck. Inasmuch as the lever and driving lmechanisms of each side areidentical, only one will be described, it beingunderstood that correspondin parts of the other will b e indicated by simi ar vreference'numerals. L

' The bell crank lever 8 is composed of two I bell crank arms 10 both of which are pivotally mounted on a projecting end of the bar 6 at opposite sidesof the adjacent extension 7B. The free' ends of the'arms extend over the load supporting element and carry a pin 11 by which the clamping head 12 is pivotally-supported.- The arms 10 also carry a pin 13 by which they are connected to a pair of adjacent brackets 14 which are also pivotally mounted on the bar 6. The brackets 14 form a part of the driving connection between the. clamping lever 8. and the driving motor 9.

The motor 9v is mounted on a -yoke 15 which is supported at opposite ends by a transverse bar 16 and a transverse shaft 17, said bar and shaft being supported by the arms 4. The shaft 17 also forms a part of the driving connection and, to 'this end, Ais* provided with a centrally located gear 18 which meshes with an overlying worm 19 on shaft 20, the latter being connected to the motor by'a slip clutch 21. The ends of the shaft 17 project beyond the arms 4 vand the projecting portion carries a crank arm 22 securely attached thereto. The crank arm 22 is Iconnected. to the `brackets 14 by1 -means of a link 23, the `opposite ends ofV which `are pivotally secured tothe arm 22 and a pin`24 respectively, said pin being carried by the freeend of the brackets. Obviously the bracket 4may be formed with additional apertures for the accommodation of pin 24 wherebythe angles ofthe clamping and unclampinfpositions of the levers may be varied.

' rom the foregoing, it is apparent that when the motor is operated, the shaft 17 will be rotated` with resultant movement of the crank arms 22. The crank arms act through the links 23 to rock the brackets 14 and thus move the clamping levers 8 about the bar 6 as a center. In this manner the levers are moved toward or away from the load supporting elements to clamp or release a load, it being understood that the motor may be rotated slowly enough to permit the movement of thev clampin leversto be arrested at will at any desiredpoint alon their maximum path of travel in case t e operator does not desire the clamping levers to bear with full pressure on the load. Of course if the operation of the 'motor is not stopped lat the time the clamping levers enga e the load such levers will bear upon the load with maximum pressure permitted by the slip clutch, the function of which is to prevent binding of the parts.

Now assuming that it is desired to load the truck, the frame 4 is raised or lowered .to the desired level and the load manually placedon the supportingl element, or, the truck is moved to cause t e su portin ment to pass underneath the lload, w ereupon when the frame 4 is raised, the load supporting element will engage and lift the load. ,The operator may `then operate the clampingllevers to clamp the load securely against t e supporting elementand thus prevent its displacement during transportation.

When it is desired to unload the truck, the motor is operated in the reverse direction to cause the clamping levers to move away from the load and release the same, whereupon the motoris stopped when the levers have moved to the desired position.

When from the nature or size of the load, the use 'of the clamping levers may not `be desired or may not be possible as for example, when they might prevent or obstruct the loading of the truck, the levers may be Y readily swung aside and rendered inoperative for clamping purposes. This is accomplished by transferring the pin 24 tothe transverse openings 25 of the .bracket 14 so as to connectl the link .23 to that point of the bracket. In doing this, the levers will be vmoved to, and held in, an upright position as shown in Figure 2 where they cannot interfere with the load.

lIn Figures 6, 7 and 8, I have shown an.

embodiment of my apparatus in which the clamping levers 8 and brackets 14 are madel integral and the driving connection modified. The clamping leversare indicated at 8 and are formed with bracket extensions 14a.' The connection of the bracket extensions to the shaft 17 is obtained in the usual by the motor through slip' will move the nut 19Il in one' direction or the 'I other, and thereby move the. shaft 17 through a corresponding arc. Such movement of the shaft is imparted to the clamping levers 8 through the lever 22 and link 23. When it is desired to place the levers 8a to one side, the pin 13' is placed in theV apertures 25 of the bracket extensions 14 in wllich uprig t. Having claim:

1. The combination with a conveyor of a fully described my invention, I

position, the levers will be held supporting frame carried thereby and having spaced arms, a clamping lever pivotally mounted on and supported by said arms, a motor supported by said arms and a drivin connection between said motor and sai clamping lever.

2. The combination with a conveyor of a supporting frame carried thereby and having spaced arms, a bar mounted on the free ends of said arms, a clamping lever pivotally mounted on said bar, a motor sup ported by said arms and a driving connection between said motor and said clamping lever. l

3. The combination with a conveyor of a supporting frame carried thereby and having spaced arms, a clamping lever pivotally mounted on and supported by said spaced arms, a motor supported by said spaced arms and a driving connection including a i `slip clutch between said motor and said clamping lever. 4 y

4. The combination with a conveyor ofa supporting frame carried thereby and having spaced arms, a clamping lever pivotally mounted on the free end of said arms, a mot-or supported by said frame, a worm, an operative connection between said worm and motor including a slip clutch,'a'transverse shaft mounted in said spaced arms and operatively connected to said worm, a crank arm carried by said shaft and a link pivotally connected at opposite ends to said crank arm and clamping lever.

5. The combination with a conveyor having a load supporting element of a clampin lever mounted on the conveyor and arrange for movement through a range of positions over said load supporting element in which it is adapted to clamp a load supported on said element, said lever also being arranged for movement to one side away from said element and out of clamping relation thereto, motor means for moving said lever through said range of positions and means for holding said lever out of clamping relation with said element when it has been so moved.

In testimony whereof -I hereby aiiix my signature.

ALBERT H. GFRORER. y 

